Ninety Days
by Chibitaku
Summary: AU: The Strider family will never be the same after Dave is taken from his brother and placed in the care of the Johnsons, a family who cares for teens who have been removed from their home. His brother is given ninety days to fulfill the courts orders if he wishes to get his brother back, and calls only person he knows can help... (Please review, Humanstuck Trolls,Reg Sat Updates)
1. Chapter 1

**First Homestuck fic. Yay~  
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><p><em>Day 1 - Dave - New Home<em>

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><p>"This will be your room, David. Your roommate will be home from school shortly,nut you should have enough time to unpack before he arrives. The boys bathroom is right across the hall, your towels and other items are the red ones." Mrs.. Johnson said, opening the door to a small bedroom, there were two beds, each pressed against the opposite wall. Beside each bed, there was a chest that would hold clothing and any other personal items that belonged to the owner of the chest.<p>

"It's Dave..." A young blond mumbled, looking around the room. His red eyes scanned quickly for any signs of any information about his roommate. The walls were bare and the beds were both neatly made. Nothing interesting here.

The boy, or Dave, sighed and set his bag on the left bed, which was set up for him. The comforter was old and the sheets looked stiff. Nothing like his bed back at his real home. Dave wasn't sure if he would ever see that home again. It had been only hours since he was picked up in a black car and brought here to the Johnson household.

The Johnsons were a middle aged couple who took in teenagers when home situations weren't suitable for them. If the situation was cleared, the teens could return, if not the Johnsons were known to adopt the teenagers and take them in permanently.

Dave began unpacking his things and setting them in the trunk. He left his ipod and headphones out for near future use as he did so. He didn't want to be here, he didn't think things were that bad back where he lived. Now the state had him switch schools, and practically relocate his entire life for what he hoped would be only 90 days.

'90 days... That's how long I'll be here...' Dave kept repeating in his head since the moment he was picked up from his house, which was over an hour away. He remembered his brother's face when they told him they were taking Dave from him. His brother had raised Dave since he was a baby, and had no issues before. Now Dave was fifteen and they were suddenly concerned with the younger's safety. They had given his brother ninety days to complete a list of actions in order to get Dave back.

Part of Dave was wondering if his brother was going to even try and get him back. He wasn't sure if he would just give up and let Dave be given over to the state to do as they pleased with the younger Strider brother. Dave attempted to push these thoughts from his mind, turning up his music louder and leaning back against the wall next to his bed.

The blond closed his eyes behind his always present shades and let out a soft sigh. The next ninety days were going to be long for his, this much he was sure of. He wanted a change of pace, but this wasn't something he was ready for. A whole new life, starting the moment he woke up this morning.

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt a vibration in the wall from the door closing. His eyes opened quickly and landed on a figure in a black hoodie and dark black hair before him. Dave assumed that the figure was his roommate. The boy was much shorter than Dave, and carrying a bag on his shoulder, with textbooks in his arms. The other's deep brown eyes fell on Dave, and a confused yet angered expression filled his face.

"And who the fuck are you?" The boy asked Dave, staring at him like he had two heads. Without any time fore Dave to answer, he asked again. "Hey asshole, I'm talking to you."

Dave removed his headphones and stared at him.

"The name's Dave, I'm your new roommate." The blond said rather loudly, watching the boy react through his shades. The boy rolled his eyes and sat down on the bed opposite of Dave's, staring at him. "I'm here as a part of that stupid program."

"New guy? Those fuckers never tell me when someone else is moving in. I'm always the last one to know." He said softly and looked at the ground, kicking his legs in annoyance. He couldn't have been any older than Dave. His hair was wavy and hung in his eyes, and is skin was a soft tan color. "To be formal, I'm Karkat. I'll be your roommate. Stay on your side, keep this shithole clean and I'm sure we'll get along as well as we need to. You'll be gone soon enough, so personal relationships aren't required."

Karkat opened one of the textbooks and began reading something, removing some paper and a pencil from his schoolbag. Dave assumed he was beginning to do his homework and replaced the headphones atop his head.

Karkat said something to him but Dave didn't hear. He removed the headphones again and glanced over at his roommate. Now Dave was slightly confused. When he said no personal relationships he assumed Karkat wanted nothing to do with him, which means just completely ignore him for the ninety day period.

"What?" Dave asked, sitting up to gets better look at him.

Karkat shot him a glance then returned to his homework. "Have you met the girls yet?" He asked plainly, looking over at Dave. "You probably should. They'd love to know there was another one here for them to talk to. I'm sure you three would get along just fine."

Dave sat up all the way and looked over at the door. On the other side he could hear distinct giggling from one girl and another one talking about some sort of book she had read. The rooms were right next to each other of course. He decided it would be best to do so, if he was going to live with them, it would be right to introduce himself to them.

Leaving the room, Dave was instantly caught by the two girls standing next to each other. The shorter of the two had light brown hair that was an inch above her shoulder and bright green eyes that almost smiled as much as she did. On her head she wore a hat that strangely resembled a cat. The taller had deep, almost golden blonde hair and eyes that Dave could swear they were pink. Her hair was pulled back by a black headband.

"Hi! You must be David! I'm Nepeta and this is Rose. We're so delighted your here." The shorter one chirped and took one of Dave's hands. "Well, not that your hear, because that's sad. But it's purrfect that Karkitty has a roommate again. He gets so lonely." She told him, almost singing when she did so.

"Nepeta, don't scare him. I'm sure he's had a rough day." Rose said calmly, fixing her hair some. "Daddy issues? You have that awkward 'no mom' stare, not to mention you seem to have a 'too cool to care' stance going on." She asked, tilting her head to the side and holding both hands in front of her in a relaxed position.

Dave wasn't sure what to think at this point. He stared at the girls in disbelief and shook his head slowly, backing into the room again where he could hear a devious chuckle from Karkat. The room almost seemed to spin, or maybe he just imagined it. All Dave knew was, the next ninety days were going to be long and very strange.


	2. Chapter 2

_Day 1 - Dirk - Emptiness_

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><p>"This just has to be one of the dumbest ideas I've ever had." A man said in his kitchen with a yellow folder sitting in front of him, his phone in his hand, and a sticky note with a phone number printed on it that was barely legible after many folds. The man dialed the number into his phone and hit the call button, pressing it to his ear. It was the older brother of Dave Strider, desperate to make things right again.<p>

The phone rang on the opposite end of the phone as the elder Strider brother waited for his long-time friend to answer. His name is Dirk Strider, a tall blond man who wore a pair of triangular shades. Beneath which were a set of hazel, almost orange eyes. He hadn't been able to relax since the day the ruling was ordered for Dave to be taken.

Dirk wasn't sure where else to go for help, which led him to dig up the number of an old friend of his. He wasn't even sure if the other would answer, after what happened last time the two spoke. Nonetheless, he almost froze when the phone was picked up.

"Hello?" An accented voice answered, heavier than the last time Dirk had heard him speak. It had been about a year since Dirk had last heard that voice, over the phone or otherwise. Taking a second to compose himself, he responded.

"Jake English?" He asked, head not clear enough for a decent enough approach to the situation. Dirk bit his lip, hoping he was correct and this wasn't a random number he had dialed.

The voice answered again. "Yes, this is he. May I ask who is calling me? It's a little late for collections, is it not?" Jake asked him, his voice raising in confusion.

"It's me, Dirk..." The elder Strider brother said softly, he stood in silence for a second waiting to see if Jake would hang up on him or not. The other end was silent, both ends actually. Dirk waited for a response from him, hoping his old friend would even want to speak to him. "Dirk Strider."

"Dirk Strider?" Jake asked, surprised. Dirk stared at the phone for a second, Jake had almost sounded excited to hear from him. "It's been a long time since I've even heard from you. How have you been?"

Dirk hesitated, Jake acted as if nothing had happened between them. "It's been about a year. I've been alright, I guess. Just a few bumps here and there." He said, looking down at the documents he had spread out on the kitchen table. '_Or pretty big bumps..._' he thought, reading one of the papers on top. All of the contents of an official folder had been knocked onto the floor so he could review everything he had been given to work with. "I know you might think I'm kind of rude for my reason for calling. But I need your help with something..."

"Are you in trouble again? I told you not to call me for bail money or anything of that nature, Strider." Jake stated firmly, anger making his voice shake.

"Not bail... I need help getting Dave back..." Dirk explained, head resting in his opposite hand which was propped on the table. "They came and took him this morning. I have a chance to fix this, but I don't know where to start."

Jake's end of the call went silent, making Dirk wonder if the other male has hung up on him. Dirk glanced around the kitchen. He had spent the morning cleaning it up and boxing things into separate boxes where he could move or sell it. The best option for him was to completely sell everything and get a new house.

"How long do you have?" Jake asked, snapping Dirk from his train of thought. Was he actually going to help him?

"I have ninety days to fulfull most of these orders on this paper." He replied, looking over the list again. "I know you said you wouldn't help me with legal issues, even thought you're the best lawyer I know. But I have no one else to turn to at this point."

Dirk could hear the faint sound of typing on a computer, he assumed that Jake was looking at something online. He typing stopped before Jake spoke again.

"I can be there at nine, tomorrow morning." Jake told him, a printer sounding from the receiver on his phone. "I'll help you, but I'm only doing this for Dave."

"Thanks Jake, I owe you-"

"But is this really the best option for Dave?" Jake asked, making Dirk fall silent and start to think about the question. "Maybe starting over with a new school and family would be best for him. I remember a year ago when he was having those problems at school."

Dirk stared at the floor beneath him, almost dropping the phone on the table as Jake spoke. He had forgotten about telling him about the issues Dave had with some of the students at the school closest to their house. Jake had been around for most of those and helped the younger brother out when Dirk wasn't sure what to tell him.

"Maybe you should let him stay with this new family, Dirk. It could be what's best." Jake said calmly into the phone. The silence he received made him reconsider for a quick second before speaking again. "Of course, if you think you can do this and make things better. Then I'll be glad to assist you in your endeavor to get your brother returned to you."

Dirk sighed and nodded. "Thank you. I'll be at the airport to pick you up." He told Jake, writing down the information and time he'll need to be there to get him. "Just like old time, huh?"

"No Dirk. Not like old times." Jake corrected firmly, the receiver cracked in Dirk's ear. "This is different. Goodbye Dirk. I'll see you in the morning."

The phone went dead, leaving a dial tone in Dirk's ear. He hit the end button on his phone and began to clean up the documents that were scattered around him. The white walls surrounding him were beginning to look a deep orange from the setting sun outside his window. The absence of music coming from Dave's room made the whole house feel empty. Too empty.

Dirk was alone in the apartment he once shared with his little brother. Alone, except for Cal, who was draped over the couch for some reason. Not that Cal was a good conversation buddy, puppets don't talk unless someone makes them talk. The elder Strider was strange, but not strange enough to make his own conversation partner by making a puppet speak to him.

Tomorrow, Jake would be here to help him. He wasn't sure if he was ready for tomorrow to happen. The last time they had seen each other, Jake had stormed off in a hurry to get away from Dirk. The fight had ended most contact between the two until today.

He wasn't ready to face his past, but he was willing to do it. If it meant getting his badass little brother back, then he would do anything. Almost anything, but these terms were definitely doable.


	3. Chapter 3

**So I'm gonna try and get on a Saturday update schedule now. Yesterday, however, I wasn't home to post and this shouldn't happen ever again. So yeah.**

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><p><em>Day 3 - Dave - School<em>

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><p>"So, you're not allowed to hang on to me like a terrified little kitten who shit in the house after the first day. Today you can hang with us, but tomorrow I want you gone." Karkat told Dave the next day as the two prepared for the day. He shoved his binder into the bag and turned to face him.<p>

Dave was sliding his shades on over his eyes when Karkat saw him. The blond was wearing a plain white t-shirt with black jeans and red Converse. He pulled on a red zip-up jacket that was almost the same color.

"What if they like me and ask me to stay because I'm that cool?" Dave asked with a smirk. SInce he arrived he had figured out just how to get Karkat in one of his moods. It wasn't hard for the blond to do so.

Karkat scoffed and sat on his bed, watching Dave pack his stuff. "Like they ever would! I mean it Strider. why the fuck are you wearing sunglasses to school anyway?" He asked once Dave turned around, facing the shorter one now.

"Because I can." Dave told him plainly, looking at Karkat through his shades. "It's for medical reasons." He explained, pocketing his ipod.

"Oh please. What kind of medical issue can you have that required you to wear sunglasses all the time. You're obviously not blind." Karkat pointed out, glancing at the door when Rose and Nepeta walked by chattering away about something silly for sure. He looked back at Dave who was fixing his hair again.

"It's not for me, it's for everyone else." The taller said jokingly, adjusting his shades. "You don't want to see what's underneath."

Karkat rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He slung his bag over his shoulder and started for the door. "You coming or what? We have to walk to school and I have people waiting for me to arrive."

Dave watched the shorter male leave and grabbed his own bag. Part of him wondered how someone like Karkat could have friends anyway. Who would deal with him and his anger? even if he did have friends, Dave was sure they all acted similar to him. Always complaining and never nice to anyone.

The pair began walking to school, passing houses along the way. Rose and Nepeta had left earlier, saying something about getting breakfast on the way. Dave walked a foot or two behind Karkat to give him some space. Mainly because he felt that Karkat would turn around and punch him for walking too close.

Passing one house, Karkat stopped in front of him and looked over. "Hold on, Stirder." He said before walking up to the house. He didnt even use the walkway, he walked on the grass over to a window. "Gamzee, come on! You can't be late!"

Dave watched the display, waiting along with Karkat. When the front door opened, a very tall male stepped out with medium blond hair that looked like it hadn't been cute for a while, the ends curled up with the rest of it. "I told you not to motherfucking do that, you know my dad hates being woke up so motherfucking early!" He yelled towards Karkat.

The blond could easily be twice Karkat's height, or somewhere around there. Karkat shrugged and walked over to the front door. "Yeah, well you know I hate waiting for your slow ass, Gam."

"I heard that." Gamzee told him, eyes landing on Dave who was still standing on the sidewalk,watching the scene unfold. "I'm gonna assume that's a new roomie of yours." He said. Karkat shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"I'm sure he'll be gone in about a month." The shorter male commented.

"Now that's no way to be Karkat." Gamzee layghed as he put an arm around Dave when he was close enough. "You gotta be nice to your roomies. Don't want to be on this guy's bad side, do you?"

Karkat scoffed as Dave rolled his eyes. "Can we just get to school all ready so we can get this day over with." Dave muttered and kept walking. "The sooner I can get away from here, the better." He added, shoving his hands down in his pockets.

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><p>"Last name?" The young man at the office desk asked when Dave arrived to get his schedule. He looked about the same age as him, way too young to be working.<p>

"Strider." He said in a bored tone, watching the boy type on the computer to pull up the files.

"David Strider?" The dark hair boy asked, pushing his glasses back up on his face.

"Yeah, that's me." Dave responded, watching the paper begin to print next to the computer monitor. "Aren't you a little young to be working here?" He asked.

The other boy shrugged, stapling the papers together and getting a paper from another stack next to him. "I get extra credits on my record for working up here. Plus, anything is better than standing in the courtyard until first bell." He examined the stack in front of him before holding out his hand. "John Egbert, we have English together. Nice to meet you, David."

"Bro, who shakes hands anymore?" Dave asked, staring at him through his shades and slapping his hand away. "And I prefer Dave."

John shrugged and handed him his papers. There was a map of the school on top of them, beneath it had his schedule and the rest of his school information. Dave looked at his schedule for a few seconds before John spoke again.

"You're pretty lucky though, the classes you were given are usually ones where the teachers a tolerable. You also have a class in the arts wing, which isn't on the map but it's pretty easy to find." John explained, pointing to the west end of the school. "I've never been in there, I'm more of a tech-wing kind of guy."

Dave nodded as John continued to ramble on about random stuff he "needed" to know about the school. Dave continued to stare down at his schedule. The classes were int he same order as the ones at his old school. Granted, the school year had only started two months ago, Dave had already adjusted to that schedule and wasn't ready to adjust to this one. HE had biology first, English second, then History and math, ending his day with all of his elective courses in a row. Seven classes for eight hours.

The bell rang, causing John to grab his bag from under the desk. "I can show you your first class if you'd like."

Dave shook his head, checking the map. "It seems easy enough, I got this."

"Okay, see you later then." John went in the opposite direction as Dave needed to.

The blond walked towards his classroom, getting ran into by students. He heard the shouts and laughter coming from the others and shook his head. No one even knew there was a new guy at school, and honestly he wanted to keep it that way. He could just slip in and slip out easily once everything back home was settled and he could return to his friends.

Dave arrived at his biology class to see the teacher sitting at his desk. He was younger than most of the teachers he had seen, maybe his early thirties. He had well kept brown hair, dressed nice and lacked facial hair. The board read 'Mr. Brown' Dave chuckled to himself internally about the irony of _that_ name.

The teacher looked up at him and stood up slowly. "David Strider, I presume."

Dave nodded, feeling no need to correct him.

"I'm Mr. Brown, have a seat over there next to Miss Harley." He said, pointing to the second row of desks where an epty one sat next to a girl with long black hair and round glasses seemed intent on drawing or writing soething n a piece of notebook paper. Dave sat down, looking up at the whiteboard to see if any hints were given about just what they were studying.

His blood ran cold when a certain voice was heard walking in the door, his eyes scanned over to see Karkat walking in with the same smirk, that took place of a normal persons' smile, painted on his face. Karkat's eyes also fell when they landed on Dave, smirk fading into what could have been a snarl. Nonetheless, Karkat took his seat.

Right behind Dave. The tardy bell rang, and class began.


	4. Chapter 4

**Someone brought it to my attention that Dirk isn't _the cannon name _for "Bro Strider"  
>Yes, I am very aware of that, fanfiction police. However, since this is an AU I'm choosing to use it. That and I have an inability to write a fanfic without <em>some <em>kind of romance in there. Past or present. So, yes, for this fanfiction. Dirk=Bro**

**Also. I wanted to keep a pattern between the two Striders. But, Dave's chapters will be longer and sometimes there will be more than one at a time. Just makes it easier, his side of the story will be plenty more eventful anyway...**

**Thank you, and good night/morning/afternoon...**

_**Sorry about missing last weeks update. My computer wouldn't start up and I couldn't post.**_

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><p><em>Dirk - Day 3 - Work<em>

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><p>Jake's plane ended up being delayed, meaning he didn't get in until about eleven the night before. The drive was a long and awkwardly silent hour long. Dirk couldn't figure out what to say, it had been over a year since he had even spoken to Jake, and now they were alone in a car together.<p>

By time they reached the Strider home, both agreed it would be best to just sleep and speak in the morning. Dirk allowed Jake to use his bed, leaving himself to choose between the couch or Dave's room. The latter was something he could not do, even with Dave not there he chose to respect the code of the "KEEP OUT" sigh that had been there since the younger had turned ten. So the couch was his sleeping space for the night.

Even still, laying there with no sound anywhere he could not sleep. The thought of Jake being back in the house, and Dave being gone was enough to leave him in a restless state for hours to come. The list of requirements ran through in his head many times before he found himself falling into a light slumber.

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><p>"Dirk get up. You have things to do today." Jake said, standing next to the couch with his arms crossed. "I'm here to help you, not babysit you." The Brit added as he walked towards the kitchen. Dirk rolled over and looked at a clock that said it was only half past eight. Strider figured English must have been up for a while already and decided he didn't want to be the only one awake.<p>

"I looked at the files that were out. They really pinned you against a wall here. It seems like they had every offense except actually physical abuse. I'm surprised they even gave you a chance to straighten out, Strider." Jake continued, leaning against the wall from the kitchen.

"What can I say?" Dirk said when he was finally awake enough to speak. "I'm the prince of second chances." He said, looking at the other with a shrug.

Jake rolled his eyes and disappeared into the kitchen again and out of Dirk's sight. Dirk rubbed his eyes and glanced around the room. He still had to clean everything up around here for sure. The daily newspaper was sitting on the table next to a highlighter, taking the hint Strider picked it up and began looking through it.

"I'm guessing we're starting with the job?" He asked loud enough where Jake could here him in the other room. Jake stayed silent, allowing Dirk enough time to look through the paper.

"It's on top of the list, Strider. It's the best option to look for one first."Jake said, appearing from around the corner and sitting down on the couch next to the blond. "You can't continue working fast-food from seven to four and expect them to call it a decent income to raise an adolescent."

Dirk studied the highlighted jobs as Jake talked. Some of the jobs seemed like more work than he wanted to do during the day, but the times he would be working would fit the credentials better. Even with Dave being sixteen, the court didn't want him home alone after 7 p.m.

"Anyway, what I'm saying is. I highlighted the ones where you would be home by seven, and had an income that fits the demands you were given." The Brit pointed out once again, looking over Dirk's shoulder. "Which means, after you shower you are going to get your resumé ready, because we're leaving at noon."

Dirk sighed and put the paper down. He turned his head towards Jake who was very close to him.

"Why are you helping me?"

"Because you asked me to."

"But you could have said no. I was expecting you to say no. You had every right to say no, and you didn't."

"I know. I had every right to hang up on you. I also had every right to change my phone number when I left. I also had every right to answer and continue talking to you. I didn't hang up. I didn't say no. I decided to hear you out because I know what this means to you. Dave is your family, he's all you have and not even the cruelest person in the world would deny you assistance after knowing you for so long. No past could change the fact that you needed me, Dirk." Jake said, leaving Dirk speechless once again with his reasoning. Dirk swallowed and looked down at the floor.

He remembered how desperate he was to make things right. He knew what would happen if Jake had said yes and helped him. He also knew that being around Jake again would feel like this, and yet he didn't stop himself from dialing the phone and waiting for the Brit to answer.

After watching him walk away last year, it was strange to see him sitting still next to him. It was awkward.

Extremely awkward.

But he couldn't shake the feeling nonetheless that this was his only choice.

"Alright," Dirk said and stood up while clutching the newspaper. "let's get started."


End file.
